The moment SMU knocked off Tulane 26-14 in the AAC Championship Game, Liberty and SMU fans sat on pins and needles. There was no more work to be done, as both programs’ seasons were in the hands of the College Football Playoff committee.
On Sunday, the committee unveiled Liberty as the highest-ranked conference champion of the AAC, CUSA, MAC, Mountain West, and Sun Belt, officially sending the Flames into the New Year’s Six. Liberty will play Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1, becoming the first CUSA program to participate in a New Year’s Six bowl since in the inception of the College Football Playoff.